Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival tickets sell out in record time
11:21 PM, Jan. 26, 2011 | Comments

Written by Bruce Fessier

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival announced on Wednesday the fastest sellout its 12-year history.

No more general admission or VIP tickets are available for the April 15-17 event at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. Three-day passes went on sale Friday.

Promoter Paul Tollett of the Los Angeles-based Goldenvoice said he's “still a little stunned” by the quick sellout. Some online fans reacted negatively when the lineup — headlined by returning artists Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon and Kanye West — was announced after 9 p.m. on Jan. 18.

Tollett said 51,000 tickets were sold by Monday compared to the 11,000 purchased on the first weekend of sale last year. There was a quick succession of sellouts of car camping, tent camping and VIP tickets, but he said he's never announced tickets were going fast for fear it would seem like a sales trick.

Goldenvoice secured an Indio city permit for 75,000 concert-goers per day, matching last year's daily attendance, but Tollett said he planned to sell fewer tickets this year to reduce crowding. Goldenvoice also secured an additional 10 acres around the Empire Polo Club to add a new festival entrance and more concert and parking space than ever before.

The festival will add a small sixth stage near the Mojave and Sahara tents on the east side of the field for intimate types of music such as bass and drums, underground hip-hop and dubstep electronic music.

But even with the additional stage, Tollett said the festival grounds will seem much more spacious. He said the additional festival acreage will be the equivalent of more than eight football fields.

Coachella has been named Best Music Festival by the industry publication Pollstar more often than any other event this past decade.